Short answer: Bellever, on the high moor, has a clear shallow river that families swim in, with parking, toilets and a coffee trailer. Dartmoor water is cold year-round and river levels rise fast after rain on high ground, so check conditions and never swim alone.
Start here, because it is the thing that gets people into trouble. Moorland rivers are fed from high ground and stay cold through the summer. Cold water shock is a real risk even on a hot day — get in slowly, keep the first few minutes shallow, and get out before you stop feeling cold rather than after.
Bellever, on the high moor between Postbridge and Two Bridges, is where most families go and for good reason. The river running through the forest is clear and shallow enough for children, and reviewers describe it as safe and refreshing for wild swimming and outdoor fun. Parking is £3 for two hours or £5 all day, with toilets and a coffee trailer, and wild ponies wandering about.
The riverside is the good part — several visitors say they should have brought a picnic and stayed there rather than heading further into the trees.
Dartmoor has extensive open access land, which is a privilege rather than a right in most of England. Park in proper car parks rather than on verges, keep dogs under control around livestock and ground-nesting birds, and leave gates as you find them. This is a working landscape with farms on it.
The south Devon estuaries are warmer and calmer — Salcombe, the Dart and the Teign. Sea swimming at the sheltered coves is often more comfortable than a moorland river: Rapparee Cove at Ilfracombe has stepped entry into the water, and Coryton Cove at Dawlish shelves gently and is sheltered by cliffs.
There is no lifeguard anywhere on Dartmoor and phone signal in the valleys is poor. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
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